


heartbr(ache)

by thisissirius



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: M/M, Robron Week, Super Soap Week 2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-03-01
Packaged: 2018-09-27 18:36:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10038773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisissirius/pseuds/thisissirius
Summary: Robert’s eyes look a step from closing and Aaron squeezes his wrist."Look at me.”"Say yes." Robert doesn't open his eyes. “Please.”"Robert," Aaron says, panicked, slapping Robert’s cheek. "Look at me."





	

**Author's Note:**

> written for the _you're the boss_ day of robron week 
> 
> super soap week, robert hurt, and aaron finding the strength he utilises so well. because i'm predictable.

Water.

Aaron jerks awake, body aching. He blinks, takes a deep breath. Car, he thinks. He was driving and there was an accident, he plunged—no, they plunged. Robert. Aaron looks to his left, sees Robert, head against the passenger window, unconscious. “Robert?”

There’s no answer. Aaron shifts in his seat, a sharp pain in his back. It’s fine. He’ll be fine. There’s already so much water in the car, panic squeezing at his chest, but he ignores it, focuses on Robert. He leans over, shakes Robert’s shoulder. “Rob?”

Rob doesn’t move. Aaron unbuckles his seat belt, shifts so that he can lean in closer to Robert, touches his face. There’s something wet and sticky on the side of Robert’s head. He can’t see what it is, not in the murky light of the car, but he doesn’t have to. 

“Robert,” he snaps, shakes Robert rougher than he means to, but no less panicked. “Robert, _wake up_.”

This time Robert stirs, a low moan. He jerks harshly in the water, and the noise he lets out — half yell, half moan — cuts right through Aaron. 

Robert’s eyes drift to Aaron. They’re huge and wide, afraid, and Aaron’s shaking hand touches his face. 

“S’okay,” he murmurs, and as Robert turns his head, Aaron feels sick, can see the blood matting his hair. 

“Leg hurts,” Robert gasps out, words slurred. There’s something distant and vague about his eyes, and Aaron feels fear welling up, tries to quash it. Maybe it works, maybe it doesn’t. 

Aaron takes a deep breath, ducks under the water. Rob’s leg is twisted, something dark against the fabric of his jeans. Aaron’s eyes sting, his lungs burn. He comes back up, tries for reassuring. “It’s broken. We’ll fix it once we’re out okay?”

“Can’t,” Robert says. He’s not moving much, barely even keeping his eyes open. “Pressure.”

“I know,” Aaron tells him gently, rubs a thumb against his cheek. He’s trying to keep a lid on his panic, the worry gnawing at his gut. “We’ll wait for it to equalise. Then we’ll get Lachlan.”

“Mm,” Robert agrees. His eyes snap open after a beat, two. “Mm’stuck.”

“What?” Aaron looks down, fumbles with the seatbelt. It’s locked, won’t pop no matter how many times he pushes the button. No, no, no. Aaron lets out a slow breath. “It’s gonna be okay.”

Robert says nothing, and when Aaron looks, his eyes are starting to close, his hands slipping away from Aaron’s under the water.

"No, Rob, please," Aaron says, his voice breaking. "You have to stay awake for me." 

"Why?" Robert's eyes are hooded, his body slack against the seat and Aaron’s heart is pounding rapidly. 

"Rob!" Aaron’s voice is loud, panicked. 

Robert's eyes snap open. He searches, looks _afraid_. "What happened? Why are we-" 

Aaron's heart is in his mouth, hands shaking. "I'm gonna get you out, alright?" 

"No," Robert says, and Aaron’s heart stops. 

“What?”

A weak smile, sad expression. "You gotta go."

“No chance,” Aaron snaps, one of his hands reaching back down to the belt. He’ll rip RObert out of the car with his bare hands, he’ll tear the world apart, Robert can’t die here, he won’t. 

“Please,” Robert says, voice small. “Gonna drown if you—”

“I’m not going,” Aaron says, tone hard. Aaron isn’t leaving, _can’t_ leave. “Stop asking.”

There’s a horrible silence. Aaron keeps his attention on Robert, hands pulling at the seatbelt. It’s not giving, not an inch. There’s nothing to help in the glovebox, nothing in the car. There’s so much water and he’s cold and he doesn’t know what to do, how to get Robert out.

"Was'sgunna marry you," Robert says. 

Aaron's fingers twitch against the seatbelt. Why won't it _give_? — _marry you_ — and his head snaps up quickly. He swallows, can’t help the "What?" 

"Rings in there," Robert slurs, eyes flicking to the glove box. His lips twitch, the expression on his face breaks Aaron’s heart. Happy, proud, sad. “Was gunna ask earlier.”

Putting his hand in his jacket, the picnic, and Aaron ruined it, ruins everything, even this. 

Robert’s eyes look a step from closing and Aaron squeezes his wrist. 

"Look at me.”

"Say yes." Robert doesn't open his eyes. “Please.”

"Robert," Aaron says, panicked, slapping Robert’s cheek. "Look at me." 

Robert's eyes snap open, looks at a point over Aaron’s shoulder, smiles like he’s looking at Aaron. His expression falters, dips. "S'water there."

“I know,” Aaron says, because he doesn’t know what else to do. “It’s okay.”

Blinking, Robert nods, opens his mouth to say something, shuts it again. Aaron waits, still fumbling with the seatbelt. Robert’s head drops forward, pressed to Aaron's shoulder.

"Rob, you still with me?" There's no answer. Aaron jerks back, shivering as he tugs at Robert. "Rob, _look at me_. What about this wedding, eh?"

"Say yes." Robert's voice is weak, Aaron can hear his teeth chattering. The belt's loosening, Aaron can feel it, but Robert's weight is heavy, and Aaron doesn't know how he's going to get him out, how he's supposed to save them, this wasn't supposed to happen and he- “Before I die.”

“You’re not going to die,” Aaron yells, probably too loud, and Robert whimpers. “I’m sorry, I’m _sorry_.”

Aaron wants to cry, feels his heart shattering in his chest, but he doesn’t know what to do, can’t get the belt to fucking give, and he just wants Robert to be safe, to get him out, before they’re— 

The water is high, too high, and Aaron doesn’t think they have much more time.

"Aaron," Robert says, his fingers pressing into Aaron's hips. "M'cold."

"I know," Aaron says, pained. "I know, and I promise I'll get ya warm, but I need you to stay awake for me, okay?"

Aaron feels like he'll never get Robert free and there's Lachlan and Robert's broken leg; he refuses to contemplate the hopelessness, wraps his fingers tight around the belt. 

"I love you," Robert says, lips pressing to Aaron's neck. 

Aaron can barely feel them with the water and through his terror. "Hold on for me, Rob, please." His voice is shaking and he hates it, keeps pulling again, again, _again_ , feels the belt come loose under his hands. "You're free, Rob, you're-" 

Robert's head is a dead weight against Aaron's shoulder, his fingers have slipped away from Aaron’s wrist, and Aaron can't hear him breathe and fuck, fuck-

 

 

 

The water is cold, so fucking cold, and Robert’s heavier than Aaron’s expecting. 

He’s probably making Robert’s leg worse, doing more damage then good, and there’s still _Lachlan_ , but Aaron can’t leave him, won’t leave him, he needs to —

— _swim, Aaron, swim_ —

— then there’s Adam and he has arms around Robert, helps him haul him up to the beach. 

“Robert!”

Aaron flinches at Vic’s yell, tries not to feel anything at all as he hovers over Robert’s lifeless body, can’t see his chest rise, his eyes aren’t open, he can’t be — 

Adam’s muttering denials, Vic’s panicked crying washes over him, and Aaron's trying to pump life back into Robert's body. He doesn’t know what he’s doing, how to handle it, but he needs Robert, doesn’t know what he’ll do if Robert dies. He can’t die. He _can’t._

Aaron's fingers are shaking, and he's willing Robert to breathe, to _live_. 

"Robert, please, Rob," Vic's whimpering, her hands brushing through Robert's hair. It's wrong, Aaron thinks abstractly, aware of the tears on his face, the sobs out of his own mouth. She's stroking his hair wrong, he doesn't like it like that, he prefers it to be softer and the entire length of his head and —

Robert coughs up water. Vic sobs. Aaron breathes. 

 

 

“I’ll go,” Vic tells him.

Adam hovers, but Aaron thinks of Lachlan, can’t leave him in the car. He has to go back in. 

Except. 

Except Lachlan’s on the shore and Aaron’s anger explodes in his chest. 

“You,” he spits, venom dripping from the word. Lachlan starts, but it’s Adam who pulls him back, keeps him from doing anything stupid. There’s someone else there, a flash of yellow, but all Aaron can see is Lachlan. If it wasn’t for him, Aaron would be, would be, he’d be —

— engaged.

He’d be engaged. 

“I’m gonna kill you,” Aaron yells, Adam’s arms unyielding. “You better pray he doesn’t die,” voice hitching on the word, “or I’ll kill _you_.”

“Aaron,” Adam says, warning. “If Robert wakes up and you’re not there—”

He leaves the rest, but Aaron knows.

“I need Robert,” Aaron says, unembarrassed, strong. 

 

 

Vic looks small, Aaron thinks, as he and Adam head toward her. Elbows on her knees, she’s threaded her hands through her hair. There are tear tracks on her face, and Aaron’s chest hurts. 

“Babe,” Adam says, sounding wrecked, sweeps Vic into a hug. 

Aaron’s eyes flick over the gathered people, doesn’t see Robert. “Where is he?”

“They were concerned about his head,” Vic says, scrubbing a hand over her face. She sounds tired and scared. 

“He had a head injury,” Aaron says, twisting the sleeves of his jumper between his hands. He’s cold, can feel shivers wracking his body. There’s a kid crying, somewhere, and he grits his teeth against the urge to tell them to shut up. “He wasn’t looking at me probably and he kept shivering, he was cold, he kept —”

Vic’s arms wrap around his shoulders, but Aaron stiffens up, wishes she wouldn’t. He can’t, he needs Robert, he wants to see him. 

“Aaron?” Vic says, pulling back to touch his face. Aaron jerks out of her hold, tries to ignore her hurt look. “Are you hurt?”

“No,” Aaron says, quickly. His back feels fine, he’s just, he needs to know if Robert’s okay. “When will they tell us something?”

Adam gives him a look, sympathetic and reassuring, but Aaron feels a phantom itch crawl up his skin. When Adam’s hand touches his arm, he tries not to tug away. “Want me to call your mum?”

Aaron ignores the question, rocks back on his heels. “Did the doctor say anything else?”

Vic shakes her head, presses her hand to her mouth. She looks scared, Aaron thinks. She wasn’t there, she didn’t see Robert like that, didn’t watch his eyes, didn’t see the, she doesn’t know, she can’t know what Robert was, she doesn’t know. 

“Aaron,” Adam says, his grip strong. “Why don’t you sit down, mate?”

“I need to find someone,” Aaron says, his chest aching. “I can’t just—”

Adam doesn’t give him a chance to say anything else; he steers Aaron to the corner, presses him down onto one of the hard, plastic chairs. “We’ll find out, alright? Just stay here.”

“I can’t,” Aaron says. “I need to—”

Frustrated, Adam opens his mouth, closes it when a doctor approaches slowly.

“Robert Sugden’s family?”

 

 

Mending broken bones. 

Something something concussion. Concerns. Worries. Wait and see. 

Aaron hates waiting. It makes his skin crawl. 

 

 

“Love,” Aaron’s mum says, sweeping him into a hug. 

Aaron chokes back a sob, hugs her back tightly. “Mum-”

“I know,” his mum says, pressing a kiss to his forehead. She looks frayed around the edges, worried. 

Aaron blinks. “Liv, mum, she should know.”

“She’s here, love.” His mum gives him a smile, touches his face gently, too gently, Aaron thinks he could break underneath it.

“He can’t die, mum.”

“He won’t,” his mum says, _promises_. 

 

 

 

Vic’s holding his hand. 

He stares down at it, her fingers twitching every so often. She looks scared, can’t stop crying. Aaron wants to do that, wants to just let go but he can’t. 

“What if—” 

“Don’t,” Vic says, gently. She squeezes his fingers, breath hitching. “He’ll be okay, he has to be.”

“Everything’s going to be fine.” Doug. Aaron doesn’t remember him arriving, doesn’t remember Diane slipping into the waiting room, face blotchy, clutching Doug’s arm like a lifeline. 

Aaron shakes with the force of his fear. “They should have said something by now.”

Liv’s head shifts away from his shoulder. “He’ll be okay.”

It sounds more like a question. 

Aaron pulls out of Vic’s grip, feels his breath speeding up, his leg jiggling, he needs—

“He was gonna marry me,” he says, words falling like bricks between them. 

Vic’s face crumples. His mum looks startled, Diane shocked. 

“He was gonna ask and I messed it up and now he’s in there and I’m not, I can’t—” Aaron wants to run, can’t stand this anymore, needs to do something. 

The door opens, another doctor, maybe the same one from before, his mouth an unhappy line. 

Leg set. Concussion certain. Observation. 

_Alive_.

 

 

 

Robert wakes slowly, eyes darting around the room. 

“Robert,” Vic says, sobbing in relief, clutching one of Robert’s hands in hers.

“Pet,” Diane whispers, brushing Robert’s hair from his forehead.

“Aaron,” Robert whimpers, fingers twitching. 

Aaron feels something in his chest shatter at the expression on Robert’s face; he stumbles forward, leans in, fingers brushing Robert’s cheek, his jaw. Robert looks at him, relief palpable and he chokes out a sob, reaching weakly for Aaron.

“It’s okay,” Aaron tells him, presses a kiss to Robert’s temple. He drags strength from somewhere deep, lets it settle about him, covers Robert as best he’s able and tells him, “It’s okay, I’m here. It’s okay.”

 

 

 

Later, door closed against the rest of the world, Aaron leans across the bed, one hand in Robert’s hair, the other resting against Robert’s chest, the steady beat of Robert’s heart against the palm of his hand.

“I thought,” Robert starts, throat constricting around whatever else he wants to say. 

“I know,” Aaron whispers, voice breaking. 

Robert tugs him in, kisses the corner of his mouth. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean, if I hadn’t—”

“It’s not your fault,” Aaorn says, horrified. “Robert, it’s not, it was mine.”

“If s’not mine,” Robert slurs, tired around the edges, _frayed_ , “then s’not yours, kay?”

Aaron’s throat feels thick, he wants to deny, but something about Robert’s expression, the way he touches Aaron’s wrist, makes him stop. “Alright.”

“Good.” Robert blinks lazily, looking soft and safe against the hospital bed. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Aaron says, easy and true. Then, gently, he says, “The answer’s yes.”

Robert’s grin, the joy on his face, is worth everything.


End file.
